2:16 Take Quiz for your being discharged from Goody Proctor's service? I have heard it said, and I tell you as I heard it, that she comes so rarely to the church this year for she will not sit so close to something soiled. What signified that remark? ABIGAIL: She hates me, uncle, she must, for I would not be her slave. It's a bitter woman, a lying, cold, sniveling woman, and I will not work for such a woman! PARRIS: She may be. And yet it has troubled me that you are now seven month out of their house, and in all this time no other family has ever called for your service. How does the setting of Colonial Salem relate to the events described in this passage? a colonial Salem is so strict that a single mist: makes Abigail an outcast. can get a job only through family connections. afford to hire maids. many people looking for domestic work. a colonial Salem is so crowded that there are too

Colonial Salem was steeped in a rigid social hierarchy and puritanical expectations. This created a society where a person's reputation could easily be tarnished by rumors and perceived sins. The pressure to conform meant that individuals like Abigail faced intense scrutiny for their actions, and a mere accusation could result in ostracism, as she experiences when discussing Goody Proctor. Society’s expectations were not just about conduct but also about maintaining a facade of piety, making the stakes incredibly high in this tightly-knit community. In Colonial Salem, social and familial ties were everything, and individuals were often reliant on their connections for employment. Abigail’s prolonged unemployment suggests a breakdown of those connections, making her desperate to cling to respectability. This reality underscores the theme of manipulation inherent in the play, where a lack of social standing further fuels the conflict and tragedy. The pressures of maintaining upper hand in such a competitive setting often forced individuals into desperate actions, leading to the drama unfolding in "The Crucible."